Most of my friends either tell me I'm the weirdest or the most interesting person they know. Why? Because I grow some of my own food, collect rain water, keep bees in my backyard, shop at farmer's markets, buy raw milk and make everything from scratch (I mean everything, even crackers, oh yeah and maple syrup).Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Susy and I'm one of the new writers here at the Co-op. I blog about organic gardening, growing food, preserving food, beekeeping, eating locally and other related topics over at ChiotsRun and check out my Flickr photostream for images of my newest escapades.
I live here at Chiot's Run with; my husband - Mr Chiots, my dog Lucy the garden namesake and our 3 cats that also help make our house a home - Samson, Soafie & Dexter. We live on a small lot (1/4 acre) in a development that's kind of rural but we still have a HOA. We've been working hard over the past 7 years to improve the soil on our little bit of land in order to grow some fruits & vegetables of our own, but we're limited by the shadiness of our property since we're surrounded on 3 sides by very large trees.
We own a business and both work from home and enjoy our simple, yet busy life. We love to try to do as much ourselves as we can, which is what has brought us down the road of simplicity and self-reliance. We don't really have dreams of being fully self-sufficient, so we have spent the last couple years creating a network of local people to provide us with the things we cannot and don't really want to do for ourselves, like raw milk, beef, chicken, eggs, etc. We believe in doing our part in building a strong local economy for healthy sustainable foods, and for us that means working hard to earn money to support local farmers.
We also strive to be good stewards of this lovely planet we live on. While we don't drive an electric car, ride our bicycles everywhere, or shun modern conveniences (at least not too many of them), we try not to be wasteful of the resources we do use. We collect rain water for our plants, we try to buy things with as little packaging as possible to reduce our waste and we strive to buy things as locally as possible and not to buy things we don't need. We also garden organically, and I mean completely organically, we don't even use "safe" organic pesticides.
So what do you think, weird or interesting?
34 comments:
Sounds like me! Weird but in a good way!! :) Welcome and we look forward to reading about your adventures!
Interesting!!
Interesting for sure!
Another vote for interesting! And I have been called a few other things in that same vein. People are usually perplexed w/why I/we do what we do. But I always remind myself that i/we don't do it for them. I have my own reasons for doing things...probably not the same as yours, but that's ok! That is what makes life - yes, I'll say it again - interesting =)
DramaMama-I know what you mean. I've heard so many times, "But you can buy butter, why would you make your own if you can buy it at the store?"
Oh, interesting! Very interesting! Extremely interesting! Or is this that birds-of-a feather thing? :)
Certainly interesting. I can't wait to read what you have to say.
Susy,
Unless myself and all these other like-minded folk are weird also I would say interesting! Will you still be keeping up with Chiot's Run as well?
Yes, I'll be keeping up with Chiot's Run as well (I have to, all my readers would revolt if I didn't).
Nice to meet you!
In good company is what you are! :) I had to laugh when I saw on my new magazine cover "Six Easy Homemade Cracker Recipes". Guess I'm not so WEIRD myself.
I don't think you'll get any weirds from here... we are all reading what we find interesting ;)
Interesting and wonderful!
Well............... ;-)
Interesting for sure, welcome! I look forward to visiting your blog.
Normal. ;)
So is it weird that my wife and I were out walking last night and spied 13+ dozen canning jars in someone's recycling bins, and went back to our house for the car and boxes to collect them?
Is it weird to have planted apple trees, Asian pear trees, fig trees, peach trees, kiwi vines, grape vines, and bunches of veggies?
Is it weird to save bath water to flush the toilets in 2 buckets in the bathroom?
Is it weird to have built rain barrels to catch the water for our gardens?
Is it weird to collect free organic matter from the neighborhood in convenient bags to add to the gardens?
Is it weird to spend hours picking apples, processing apples, cooking apples, and canning apple butter?
Is it weird that our neighbors think our grass-less front yard is beautiful and amazing?
Is it weird that I started keeping bees, not so much for the honey, but for the pollinators?
If all of those things are weird, then yes, I am guilty. But I'm thinking that by doing so much, and still having electricity and the internet, I'm keeping my life as simple as I can. I hope more people turn weird like us!
Just when I'm exhausted with simplicity, you all encourage me! I guess I should go back out to the garden tomorrow and check the tomatoes~
James...love the dumpster-diving aka reclaiming abandoned jars!
I would have gone back for those jars as well! We frequently head back out in the car to get bags of leaves we spotted while out walking as well!
Absolutely interesting. :) :)
Weird is just another way of saying that you don't have a bridge to join up where you are now with the place you're putting the Weird label on. Some people don't want to bridge the gap, and that's their loss, I say.
I really like your approach, because it's realistic, kind to earth and yourselves and one that steadily grows and develops over time. I can't reconcile myself to eating dead animals, that's my thing, but otherwise I'm with you all the way. Not weird, definitely not weird!
Interesting. But what is a HOA?
If more people thought the way you do, in terms of buying local first, then we would have stronger local economies and we would be better off as a whole. I look forward to reading your posts.
It's a Home Owners Association (you know those things that give you all kinds of rules for your property). Our is pretty relaxed, but they do say I can't have chickens, which I'd love to have a few of. But at least we can have bees and grow veggies, unlike lots of people with HOA's.
I say interesting, very, very interesting! I am looking forward to more of your posts.
Unique, you have the ability to think outside the box*wink* We're always told that we were obviously born 100 yrs to late! The people our own age and younger think it's weird, but the older generation have a lot of admiration for living the way we do and we're complimented by their knowledge of living history.
A little of both ;-)
I'm going to say that you're the best of both. I think that there is a huge need for more people like you.
Very interesting and looking forward to keeping up with your post.
Someone just asked on my blog if I make my own maple syrup with sugar and flavoring or if I tap my maple trees.
We tap our own trees, here are a few post with photos:
Sweet Success
Maple Sugaring at Chiot's Run
very interesting I wish I had someone like you around here so I wouldn't be so lonely! My bff laughs at me all the time and like to tell her completely non self suffient co workers some of my antics. at least I give them something to talk about I guess! Love your blog too!
Thanks
Kim in WV
You are very interesting...that is why I visit every day! Kim
You're just like most of the friends I've had for the past 40 years. I don't think they're "weird" and some are interesting, but some get going on boring tangents sometimes and some are downright OCD. If you are who you are for your own satisfaction, it doesn't really matter what anyone thinks.
Welcome, Susy! None of that sounds weird to me!
Not weird to me either, I also get raw milk, and fresh eggs from a farm, and from that same farm, ice cream & cream, etc. I've even ordered roaster chickens from them, which are absolutely out of this world wonderful!
Yes I may pay a little more, but I know where it comes from, and know the family well now. I'd much rather pay them, then some unknown ceo. It definately keeps the $$ in the community. I also have gotten some space in my small back yard ready for next years planting, and make everything from scratch. Much better that way, and know what goes into it, not processed stuff...
Love your blog!!
Beth
INTERESTING!
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